How to Track Conversions Using Server-to-Server Integration (S2S)

Server to Server (S2S) conversion tracking allows you to track multiple conversions, without installing the Taboola Pixel. These conversions can be, for example, mobile app installs and post-install events - such as signups and purchases - that happen after a user clicks on your Taboola campaign creatives.

Conversion tracking helps you gather important insights about actions users are taking on your app or website, and gives you the ability to measure the impact, return on your ad spend, and to optimize your campaigns accordingly.

3rd Party Mobile Measurement Partners

We are also integrated with third party platforms you might be using S2S with to track your mobile app conversions.

The vendors Taboola currently supports are:

AppsFlyer

Tune

Kochava

Apsalar

Adjust

Wisetracker

AdBrix

Branch

What Can I Track Using S2S Conversion Tracking?

Using S2S conversion tracking, you can track any type of user interaction in your app or website that you would like to optimize in Taboola’s Backstage. You can also represent your multi-conversion funnel using S2S tracking. For example:

Downloads - You can track downloads of your app from places like the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android).

In-app Events - You can track many post-install events, such as when a user reaches a certain level in an app or makes a post-install purchase.

How will Conversions appear in Backstage reports?

You can see all of your conversionsin Backstage reports. You can report conversions in a single account with both S2S and Taboola Pixel tracking.

Ready to get started? To implement S2S conversion tracking, see the instructions below.

Add S2S Tracking to your Taboola Campaign.

After a user clicks on your content, Taboola will notify your server’s with a click value.

You will need to add the Taboola {click_id} macro into your Taboola campaign tracking code. This will populate with a value that is sent to your site or to your 3rd party platform.

When a conversion is made by the relevant user, the {click_id} value is included in a postback URL which sends the conversion information to Taboola to be reflected in Backstage reporting.

In Backstage:

Go to the Campaign Management page.

Then click +New Campaign or edit an existing campaign.

In the Campaign page, go to the Tracking section at the bottom of the page.

Add a parameter to your Tracking Code that is set to equal “{click_id}” as conversion cannot be recorded without it. The parameter you use should allow you to record this value and later populate it in your postback URL to attribute the conversion. This can also be added as a parameter at the item level. You can learn more about how to add URL parameters here.

It is vital to NOT alter the {click_id} macro, otherwise your Conversions will not be tracked.

For Mobile Measurement Platforms (MMPs): Use a parameter specific to your 3rd party platform and set it as equal to the {click_id}. Many 3rd party platforms already have this added in the click tracker generated when selecting Taboola as your partner. Please refer to your platform’s documentation for more information as well as other parameters you can add to pass site, creative, and other data points with our macros.

Create S2S Conversions

Note: To check if you are already sending events to Backstage, and to save time, you can use the Active tab as a shortcut. Learn more here.

To define conversions with S2S tracking, go to the Taboola Pixel menu, and select Conversions. Here you can view existing conversions or set up and define new conversions that came from either the Taboola Pixel or S2S tracking. Note that you do not need to implement the pixel to track conversions with S2S.

Click New Conversion to set up and start tracking a new conversion.

Select the conversion Type as Event.

Select either Popular or Custom, and then fill in all of the relevant fields. See Tracking and Reporting Conversions for additional information. Make note of the value in your Event Name field as this is will be used in the next step.

Important Note: The code you see here is NOT relevant for S2S and should be ignored. Please use the postback URL in the next step.

Instead of the event code from the Conversion, use a postback URL for tracking conversions. Postback URLs sit in your server’s backend and will fire only for events related to Taboola. Create a new postback URL for each conversion created in Backstage. The highlighted values below should be changed to the respective values below.

- CLICK_ID – Replace with a macro that will populate with the Click ID generated on the Taboola user’s click. Taboola macros should NOT be used as this macro will be specific to your internal technology. This macro should populate with the same value created by the {click_id} macro implemented in your campaign’s tracking code to tie the conversion to this initial click.

- EVENT_NAME - Replace with the corresponding Event Name value in Backstage

For Mobile Measurement Platforms (MMPs): For many platforms, you do not need to create a postback for each conversion. Instead, simply add the Event Name value for each conversion to the respective events in this platform and ensure they are being sent to Taboola.

Optional Parameters

The additional parameters can be added to the postback URL for further insights into your conversion: